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On Saturday 1 July, trade unions and community organisations across the country will be spearheading a national demonstration against austerity. The Tories are in chaos, still trying to come up with a deal with the DUP so they can command a majority in Parliament. Even if they can get a Queen’s Speech through Parliament, this arrangement cannot last long.We’re marching against a Government committed to austerity, cuts and privatisation. We’re marching for a decent health service, education system, housing, jobs and living standards for all. We’ll hold a minute’s silence for the victims of Grenfell Tower and a minute’s applause for the emergency services who responded so bravely.
At this time we must also send our deepest condolences and solidarity to our friends at the Finsbury Park Mosque. Now more than ever we need to show unity in such difficult times.
Transport – many groups are organising coaches, car shares, minibuses, subsidised train tickets or meet up’s for the demonstration. We’ll keep updating our website as more are organised. If you are organising transport please let us know and we’ll add it to the site. Click here for transport page.
Order publicity – We have thousands of leaflets and posters for the demonstration. You can arrange to pick some up if you’re in London or we can post some out to you if you can cover the costs of postage. To order please email office@thepeoplesassembly.org.ukThe People’s Assembly Against Austerityhttp://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/

In the June 8th General Election, our Parliamentary candidate Fiona Colley significantly raised the Labour share of the vote in Woking, from 16% to 23.8%. We would like to thank her for her consistent and cheerful leadership during the campaign and for her clarity of contributions and ready responses at the hustings on June 1st at the HG Wells Conference Centre.

The count also took place at the HG Wells, and while we fortified ourselves at the bar swapping news about the exit polls the boxes began to arrive from the polling stations at 10.15pm. The exit polls were showing Labour much higher than expected against the Tories and turned out later to be uncannily accurate.

The Conservative Jonathan Lord came in with 29,903 (29,199 in 2015), Fiona second with 13,179 (the Labour share was just 8,389 in ’15), Lib Dem’s Will Forster 9,711 (6,047), Ukip 1,161 (5,873), and the others far behind. The turnout was 72%, with young voter turnout massively greater than before. If more young voters understood how their votes can influence the policy-makers on issues affecting them they would make sure they got registered and voted. The count finished at around 4am, more like the old days when the count always took place on the same day as the vote, and finished in the wee small hours with the sky getting light and the birds waking up.

In spite of the short notice given of the election we managed to have canvassing on several Saturday mornings and afternoons, on Sunday afternoons and, in the last two weeks, nightly canvassing from 6.30 until the light was fading. Our Newsflashes and social media produced a higher level of new support than in previous years, and new and old supporters also offered to help with leaflet deliveries. Four members also went over last Friday to canvass in Slough and three to Brentford and Isleworth for the Get-Out-The-Vote on polling day as both were marginals. Both were won comfortably by Labour.

On the campaign trail: (l to r) Hassan Shah, Fiona Colley, Patrick Lonergan, Chris Martin, Liz EvansLooking ahead to the 2018 borough elections next May, this result gives Labour a good platform for raising our vote. Jeremy Corbyn has confounded the critics and much of the uncertainty we met on the doorstep will have gone. We found a great deal of support for Labour values and the Labour manifesto and if more of the Labour parliamentary party can support Corbyn now, the vote should rise even further in Woking. We need our members and supporters to give more help with canvassing, delivering, street stalls and demos around the local issues we are working on.

Join in with the debates at our meetings every month (except August). Street stalls will be running on Saturdays from 11–2 in the town centre and we need your help. Canvassing will be stepped up from September onwards and is the best way to win votes. It is enjoyable and not difficult at all so long as you like people! Don’t stop now. Let this election be the template from now on and keep the momentum going. All dates and details will be on the Newsflashes, website and social media – so just turn up.

We have now moved out of our Woking offices and meeting hall behind the station. Owen House, Heathside Crescent, our home for almost half a century, is now going to be demolished, after which the site will become part of the St Dunstan’s redevelopment. Equipment and furniture has been stored in three places temporarily until a permanent home can be found. Thanks go to Tom, Sabir, Sharaz, Liz, Ilyas and Paul who boxed up and carried everything out. The old lady will be missed.

Until further notice, meetings will be held in the Lounge at the Woking United Reformed Church, on the corner of White Rose Lane and Heathside Road. See calendar for next meetings.Continue reading “Woking Labour moves out”

In one of the hardest fought campaigns in recent memory, our candidate for Woking North in the Surrey County Council election, Mohammed Sakhawat Khan, gained 1666 votes but lost by 247. The seat was one of many potential Labour seats lost across the country, an outcome mainly of the UKIP vote merging with the Tory vote.

Thank you to Sakhawat for leading from the front so well, and also to our other stalwart candidates in the seven County seats.

The annual Labour Party Conference takes place this year in Brighton from September 24th-27th. Papers can be downloaded from the National Policy Forum web page.

If you would like to be the Conference 2017 delegate for Woking CLP please contact our Chair, Sabir Hussain, on 07887 553716 as soon as possible. The closing date is June 23rd. The conference fee is free and some contribution towards accommodation can be made from constituency funds. It is advisable to find somewhere to stay early as the best cheap ones go quickly. Lists can be obtained from the Conference Arrangements Committee.

May 4th is Election Day. Don’t forget to vote for your Labour Surrey County Councillor – there are seven candidates, one for each of the seven Woking divisions. Polls open 7am–10pm.

The committee room will be open from 11.00am at Owen House on May 4th and continue until 9.45pm. The Get-Out-The-Vote begins at 11.30am so if you can make the early shift please collect a list of Labour supporters to be knocked up in good time before that and have a coffee before you go. Hot refreshments will arrive at 1.00pm for when the first wave gets back. We continue to collect slips until close of play at 9.45pm.

If you would like to come to the verification of the votes and count at H.G Wells on Friday May 5th (10am–3pm approx) you can attend as a counting agent. If there are more than 5 people coming for Woking North they can be listed as coming for another Woking division so theoretically there could be 34 people supporting him. Let’s have a good turn-out.

All current Woking Borough Councillors and Surrey County Councillors will be invited to attend individually, and therefore do not need to be included in our counting agent allocations.

Our Election Agent Liz Evans needs to know the names and addresses of all the counting agents each candidate would like to appoint by Tuesday 25th April at the latest, so that the proper accreditation can be sent out: agents will not be admitted to the count without it. Please email details to her ASAP at elizabeth2evans@msn.com so that they can be forwarded to WBC by the deadline of 5pm on April 26th.

Please note there are no meetings in April. Come and join us on the campaign trail instead! Call the elections hotline on 07906 697180.

Woking Council is currently looking ahead to the 2018 Borough elections, and advertising their annual ‘Could you be a Councillor?’ event.

This year, the event has been brought forward to be held on Saturday June 10 at 11.30am in the Skylight Room at Christ Church, Jubilee Square, Woking. If you would like to go, please contact the Council’s Election Officer Charlotte Griffiths on Charlotte.Griffiths@woking.gov.uk.

Whilst still home secretary, Theresa May repeatedly voiced her dislike for the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and she recently declared that the UK should leave the ECHR, even if the UK voted to remain within the European Union. The ECHR currently provides articles relating to rights and freedoms such as the right to life, prohibition of torture, the prohibition of slavery and forced labour, the right to a fair trial, no punishment without law, and the right to respect for private and family life.

In the confusion of the UK leaving the European Union, it would be easy for the Labour Party to concentrate its efforts solely on other important areas such as immigration and NHS staffing, and neglect the potential impact that leaving the ECHR could have on our country. It is essential that this does not happen. Come along on June 14th and join the debate led by the Labour Campaign for Human Rights.

AGM and Debate, Wednesday March 22nd 7.30pm. Bar 7.00pm.
Interested in finding out what Woking Labour has been up to over the past twelve months? All members are invited to the Woking Labour 2017 AGM, where our Chair Sabir Hussain and members of the Executive Committee will give an update of the past year’s activities.

The AGM is the opportunity for any Labour member to stand for the Executive. You just need to introduce yourself and say briefly why you would like to stand for a particular position, then secure a proposer and seconder from the meeting, and a vote in favour. New talent is very welcome. Bring your ideas and come and help us build a strong organisation that will continue to strengthen Labour’s voice and the Labour vote in Woking!

After the debate, Woking Labour’s Trade Union Liaison Organiser Dan Conquer will lead a debate on how we can work with local trade union branches. Bring your local knowledge. Do you know any current employment practices which would not survive close scrutiny and could provide opportunities for joint working? Are there issues you think we should be supporting?

The CLP has a number of affiliated trade union branches and now that the rule change in March 2015 enables trade union members to be individually affiliated to local Labour Parties, they are able to become a valuable part of the local support for Labour. To be an effective political force within Woking we need to be seen to be relevant and have more of a public profile on the streets and in the press. This would also give people a good reason to join Labour and to vote for Labour too.

A national demonstration and global day of action marking UN anti-racism day will take place in London on Saturday March 18th. Assemble at 12 noon, Portland Place, London, W1A 1AA. (Bakerloo line from Waterloo, but for more transport info see www.standuptoracism.org.uk/transport.) To join the Woking CLP contingent going with our banner call Gary Griffiths on 07771 331302 and leave your phone number. The demonstration is organised by Stand Up To Racism and supported by TUC, Unison, Unite, NUT, CWU, Aslef, PCS etc.

May’s government is keeping the question of immigration at the centre of British politics and continues to scapegoat migrants, refugees and Muslims. We saw a spike in racist attacks after the EU Referendum. There is a growing support for the far right across much of Europe – while refugees are being abandoned to destitution, drowning and exploitation.

But at the same time a progressive movement is growing – with huge, inspiring global Women’s Marches, the Black Lives Matter movement, and many acts of solidarity with refugees. Together we can turn back the tide of racism. Let’s make this year’s anti-racism day demonstrations the biggest yet.